Euphoria
by Lady Azura
Summary: She felt incredible. She felt on top of the world.


Summary: _She felt incredible. She felt on top of the world._

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: So, this is a bit of a prediction-esque fic of what might happen in tonight's episode.

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**Euphoria**

_**By: Lady Azura**_

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The party had already started by the time they arrived. Checking her phone to make sure they were at the right address (as if the blaring music wasn't a big enough clue) Maya Matlin checked her makeup in the window of a nearby car before starting towards the Torres residence. Beside her, Tristan was trying desperately to calm his nerves. Maya sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Relax, Tristan. They're just seniors. Your brother's probably already in there." She reminded him.

"Yeah, and if he finds out I crashed it –"

"He won't if you stay cool and act like you belong here." Maya assured him, before smiling coyly. "Besides, I heard Fab was supposed to come."

"_What_?" Tristan cried, before going into full panic mode. "Oh my God. Oh my God. I look _awful_ right now! We need to go back to my place and –"

"Tristan, relax! You look fine!" Maya hissed, latching onto his arm before he could leave and pulling him towards the house.

They went around back, pushing their way past throngs of people lingering outside and sliding open the patio door before finally stepping inside. The music was deafening and Maya was surprised that the neighbors hadn't called the cops yet. Chaos surrounded them; the hockey team crowded around Luke Baker chanting "Chug! Chug! Chug!" while a few feet away, a girl was having alcohol licked from her bare torso. The entire basement reeked of booze and other strange smells that Maya wasn't accustomed to.

"I don't see anyone I know. Do you?" She asked, turning to Tristan.

"No one worth talking to, anyway." Tristan scoffed as he scanned the party for familiar faces. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Hey, there's Drew. Drew!"

"Tristan, no!" Maya grabbed his hand and covered his mouth to silence him, but it was too late.

Drew had heard him and was walking over to them.

"Uhh, hey Maya? And… Maya's friend?" He greeted uncertainly, confusion etched across his face.

"Tristan." Tristan quickly corrected.

"Right." Drew nodded before glancing back at Maya. "Does Katie know you're here?"

"No, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her." Maya begged. "Please, Drew? I promise to vote for you if you pretend I was never here."

Drew scratched the back of his neck as he considered his options. In truth, she probably wouldn't vote for him. He was a decent enough guy and she was sure he'd be a fun president, but he had also broken her sister's heart. Then again, it wasn't as if he _needed_ her vote. He already had the election in the bag. A defeated sigh pulled her attention back to the senior in question.

"Okay, fine. Just… stay away from the punch bowl." He advised. He was about to walk away when he paused to hand them each leis. "Here. Have fun and don't start any trouble."

Once he was gone, Tristan grinned at her. "Oh. Em. Gee. Our first party ever and seniors are already talking to us!"

"It's just Drew." Maya said, rolling her eyes. "He's supposed to talk to us – he's the host."

Tristan scoffed. "You could _try_ acting a little more excited, Maya."

Maya forced a smile. "Happy?"

"If Tori was here, _she'd_ share my enthusiasm." Tristan pouted as he put on his lei.

"Yeah, well, Tori has Laryngitis so it's just you and – Tristan?" Maya trailed off when she noticed that the redhead wasn't paying attention to her, and followed his gaze. She smirked.

"Oh my God. There's Fab. What do I do?" Tristan asked.

"Talk to him?" Maya suggested.

Tristan shot her a look. "That's easier said than done! The last time we spoke, I ended up in the hospital."

"Ughhh… just go for it!" Maya urged, shoving him into the crowd towards Fab and watching in amusement as he bumped into him.

As Fab struck up a friendly conversation with her flustered companion, Maya wandered off and soon found herself standing by the snack table. After making up a plate of pretzels, chips and M&Ms, she ignored Drew's earlier warning and poured herself a glass of punch. She thought nothing of it before downing it.

"You know the punch is spiked, right?" Maya peered over the rim of her cup to see the boy she'd spoken to the day before standing there – sans the zombie makeup.

"So?" She mumbled.

He stared at her for a minute before handing her a bottle of God-knows-what. She furrowed her brow in confusion and he smiled.

"Try it. It's good. You strike me as a fruity drink kind of girl." He said with a small laugh.

"What is it?" Maya asked, twisting off the cap with her shirt.

"Raspberry Smirnoff."

"Oh." She brought the bottle to her lips and took a sip, and was caught off guard by the powerful beverage. It wasn't bad, but it was definitely stronger than anything she'd ever had before. She gave him a weak smile. "It's good. Thanks."

"Any time. I'm Ty, by the way." The boy said, extending his hand.

"Maya." Maya replied, shaking it.

Ty gave her a sheepish smile. "Well, I'll… see you around, I guess."

"Yeah." She agreed, biting her bottom lip as she watched him walk over to his own friends.

A girl with ratty blonde hair approached the table a few seconds later, grabbing a few chips and sizing her up.

"He's cute." She remarked.

"Who?" Maya asked.

"The guy you're staring at." She said with a playful smirk.

"I wasn't _staring_ –" Maya protested, but the girl cut her off before she could finish.

"Oh my God. Aren't you the girl whose boyfriend…?"

And there it was. _That_ was her legacy – to be forever known as the girlfriend of the guy who killed himself. She had hoped it would've all blown over by now. It had been a month since Cam's death, but no. People were _still_ talking about it like it had happened a day ago. There was just no escaping it, and Maya was growing more and more frustrated by the second.

"Yeah." She muttered, taking a long swig of her drink.

"Oh wow, that… really sucks." The girl said quietly, giving her a sympathetic look. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Maya assured her.

The girl stared hard at her for a moment.

"Well, I have something that could cheer you up." She said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pink pill with a smiley face on it.

"What is it?" Maya asked cautiously.

"MDMA." The girl replied with a smile. "It's Ecstasy."

"Uh… no thanks…" Maya said, shaking her head. She had seen what drugs did to Katie and she wasn't about to follow the same path.

The girl shrugged, pocketing the pill once more. "Suit yourself. But if you decide to change your mind, just come find me. My name's Talia."

With that, the girl – Talia – disappeared into the crowded dance floor.

She was starting to feel warm and wondered if it was the effects of the alcohol or just the amount of people crammed into the Torres basement. Taking another sip, she couldn't help but smirk as she thought about what her family would think if they saw her now – cute, innocent Baby Matlin drinking at a party that she had snuck out to without their permission. The thought of their stunned faces made her unusually happy. She was so _tired_ of Katie and her parents walking on eggshells around her, as if afraid that at any moment, she was going to snap and throw herself off a roof to join Cam in the afterlife.

Couldn't they see that she was fine? In fact, she'd never been better. Clearly Cam hadn't thought she was worth sticking around for, so what was the point _mourning_ him? She was trying to move on and _no one_ was letting her.

"_Maya_?" An all-too familiar voice jarred her from her thoughts and she turned to see Zig standing there, staring at her in disbelief.

"Zig! I didn't know you were going to be here!" She giggled, taking another drink.

"Damon dragged me. Is that… is that alcohol?" Zig asked, eyeing the beverage in her hand.

"Mmm… yeah…" Maya said, tracing the opening of the bottle with her tongue and watching his eyes darken slightly. "Want some?"

Zig swallowed hard, shaking his head.

"No… no… you don't drink… this… this isn't you!" He cried.

Maya laughed, taking a step closer.

"No, this is the _new_ me!" She declared, before leaning up and brushing her lips against his ear. "Better get used to it."

With that, she pulled away and slowly backed away from him, smirking at his dumbfounded expression as she vanished into the crowd.

After bumping into and squeezing past numerous partygoers, Maya finally managed to find who she was looking for and tapped her on the shoulder. Talia turned around and grinned when she saw who it was.

"I changed my mind." Maya said quietly.

"I had a feeling you would." Talia replied, fishing out a purple pill with a heart on it. "Show me your tongue."

.

.

.

She felt incredible.

It was like she was on top of the world, her worries and problems completely forgotten – cast aside for temporary bliss. Everything felt and sounded amazing. It was like all her senses had been somehow amplified – every touch, every smell, every sound. She could hear every beat and strum of the guitar as she moved her body to the rhythm of the music, tossing her head back and grinding her hips against Ty's. Her heart was racing and her blood was pumping, but she felt more alive than she ever had before.

As she finished off her fourth Smirnoff, Maya hopped off the coffee table she'd been dancing on and collapsed into Talia's arms, laughing uncontrollably. Ty followed.

"Oh my God…" she gasped. "Do you hear this?"

"Crazy, huh?" Talia remarked.

"I feel like… _wow_. You know?" Maya breathed.

"You're cool, you know that?" Talia remarked, draping her arm over her shoulders. "We should totally hang out."

"Totally." Maya agreed with a lazy grin. "But first… I think I need to lie down…"

"I think there's a spare bedroom down the hall." Ty said.

"Lead the way, afro-boy." Talia told him, using her body to prop Maya up.

Ty did as he was told, shoving past throngs of people so that they could get through. At long last, they reached the end of the hall. Knocking on the door, Ty opened it and poked his head in before signaling that it was clear and ushering them inside, shutting the door behind them. Talia led her over to the bed, where the two collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"My heart is beating so fast." Maya said breathlessly, reaching up to touch her pulse with her fingertips.

"Don't worry." Talia assured her, patting her on the knee and sending tingles up her leg. "That's normal."

"My sister's gonna be so mad when she finds out…"

"So don't tell her." Ty replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, flopping down next to her.

"I'm not gonna. But someone else might." Maya mumbled, craning her head to look at him.

"I won't." Ty promised. "Scout's honor."

She smiled at him, staring into his dark eyes – and for a moment, it wasn't Ty's eyes she was gazing at, but Cam's. Soft, sad brown eyes that made her heart skip a beat, and without much thought, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It didn't last long; realization soon kicked in and Maya broke the kiss, looking away.

"Sorry." She murmured.

"Don't be." Ty said, giving her a reassuring smile.

He reached forward, peeling off her glasses and setting them aside before cupping her face. Maya licked her lips, leaning in as he did, and kissed him again, this time with more intensity. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the Ecstasy or both, but his kiss made her feel like she was on fire – the way his lips moved over hers, the way his tongue coaxed her mouth open, the way his fingers tangled in her hair. Closing her eyes, she kissed him harder, gripping his shoulders and pulling him closer until their bodies were pressed together.

She'd never kissed anyone like this. She had no idea what she was doing, but Ty wasn't pushing her away so she assumed she was doing something right. As their tongues fought for dominance, she felt his hands leave her hair and trail down her body, caressing her sides before dipping under her pink shirt and touching her skin. A moan erupted from the back of her throat as pleasure coursed through her veins and she instinctively threw a leg over his, bringing him closer.

"Shit," he groaned into her mouth, using one hand to bring their bodies closer while the other cupped her through her bra.

A laugh snapped Maya out of her pleasure-induced stupor and she glanced over her shoulder to see Talia standing at the foot of the bed, camera out and pointed right at them.

"Don't mind me…" she teased, and before Maya could register what was happening, Ty was kissing her again.

.

.

.

It was three in the morning by the time Maya got home. She'd been unable to find Tristan and left the party alone, her head spinning as she made the twenty minute walk back to her house. Everything throbbed from her head to her jaw to her joints and especially the area between her legs. She had long since lost track of what she and Ty had done, only remembering vague bits and pieces.

She fumbled with her keys and finally managed to get the door open and lock it before heading upstairs, using the wall to hold herself up. She had just gotten into her room and collapsed on her bed when the light flicked on, making her moan and squint in pain. Forcing herself to sit up, she glared at the figure standing in her doorway, arms crossed and face stern.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick!" Katie barked quietly, loud enough for Maya to hear her but quiet enough so as not to wake their parents.

"Out." Maya mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Katie clenched her jaw before marching over to her and crouching down to her level, scrutinizing her younger sister's appearance.

"Are you _high_?" She accused when she noticed Maya's dilated pupils.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Maya sneered, rolling her eyes.

Katie pursed her lips together, trying to maintain her composure – but Maya could tell she was angry. _Beyond_ angry.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow." She warned, before spinning around and storming out of the room.

Maya groaned, falling back against her pillows and dreading the earful she knew she was going to get – if not from Katie, then certainly her parents when Katie told them.

A buzzing sound drew Maya's attention to her phone and she dug through her purse before pulling it out and flipping it open. She didn't recognize the number, but clicked on the message.

_**thought u might enjoy ;)**_

_**u look like u had fun!**_

It was a video.

Of her and Ty, and what they'd done.

Talia had filmed the whole thing.

She stared at the file for what seemed like an eternity, debating whether to save it or delete it. Old Maya would be horrified, she mused. Horrified and sick to her stomach and would vow to never show her face at school again. But New Maya…

Licking her lips, Maya clicked "Share" and sent the video to her FaceRange.

New Maya didn't care at all.

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**FIN**

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**That last bit was rushed, but I was really trying to get it done before the episode aired. Hopefully it's not too horrible!**

**Please ****REVIEW**** and tell me what you think!**


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